Medical Terminology

Stems or Roots (Gives the basic meaning

• cardi = heart

• gastr or ventr = stomach

• hepat = liver

• nephr or ren = kidney

• oste or ossi = bone

• thorac or steth = chest

• arthr = joint

• cyt = cell

• colp = vagina

• derm = skin

• Enteron = small Intestine

• Colon-large intestine

• Vaso/Angio—Blood vessel

• Arterio-Artery

• Veno/Phlebo-Vein

• Metro/Hysterio---Uterus

• Pulmon/Pneumon-Lung

• Naso/Rhino--Nose
• A suffix is a word ending. Changing the suffix gives medical
words a new meaning.
• Usually indicates a procedure, condition, disorder or disease.

• Most suffixes are derived from Greek

or Latin words.

(A suffix that is well known is – ology – the study of)

• Tomy/Ectomy – cut or incision/cut &Remove

• Rhaphy- sewing

• Plasty – molding/repair

• Rhea/Rhagia - discharge/Excessive discharge

• itis- Inflammation

• Megaly - Enlargement

– Enterotomy: Incision of the small intestine, Nephrotomy: Incision of the Kidney

– Appendectomy: Cut and removal of the Appendix

– Gastrorrhaphy: Surgical procedure to reduce the size of the stomach

– Rhinorrhea: Nasal discharge

– Bronchitis : Inflammation of the Bronchi

– Hepatomegaly: Enlargement of the Liver

• A prefix is a word element located at the beginning of a word

– Prefixes can alter the meaning of the word

– Usually indicates a number, time, position, direction, color, or sense of negation

• Peri - Prefix means around

• Hemi - Prefix means half

• Micro - Prefix means small

• Neo - Prefix means new

• Dys – Painful/Difficulty

• Hyper – Excessive or More

• Hypo – Less or Low

 Examples:
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the Pericardium

Microbiology: Study of the Microorganisms

Neonates: Newly born babies

Dyspepsia: Difficulty in digestion (indigestion)

Dysmenorrhea: Painful Menstruation

Hypertension: Excessive or increase in blood pressure

Hypotention: low blood pressure

Complex Words: More 2 root words combined.

• A combining vowel is used to link a stem word to another stem word to another one for a
compound word such as:

• Gastr + o + enter + itis = gastroenteritis

(stomach) & (intestine) (inflammation)

• Oste + o + arthr + itis = osteoarthritis

(bone) & (joint) (inflammation)

Eponyms: Koch Disease – Tuberculosis, Hansen Disease – Leprosy

Synonyms: Eczema or Dermatitis

Acronym: UTI, RTI PID ect…

Fixed Words: Abscess, Infarction